Supra SA Surf Question

[PatMacC]

Hello

I am getting ready to pull the trigger on my dream boat - a 2014 SA 350, and was hoping someone could give me some surf insight.
Background - I have been wake boarding for 20+ years but primarily behind my I/O. Kids are just just getting into boarding. I am really excited about getting into wake surfing.

Question - the boat does not have the Supra Swell system. Do I need it? Is it going to make a huge difference in my wake surfing experience? I'm not looking to get into competition or even hard-core tricks - probably mostly just cruising.

Also, I see that Supra already has come out with Swell 2.0 for 2016. Is there a big difference between this and the original Swell System? Would I even be able to install the Swell 2.0 System on a 2014 SA?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Cheers
Pat

[Mobius22]

First off, congrats on the SA! You're going to love it! To answer your questions... do you NEED it? Probably not, unless your crew has both goofy and regular side surfers. Listing the boat takes time to change over sides, and the swell allows you to just weight the boat like you're wakeboarding (everything full and people on the side you're surfing) and just engage the swell on the side you want. Makes switching sides incredibly simple. It will not make a better wave than listing but it will be comparable, it's mainly a convenience issue. The swell 2.0 is mainly just larger plates but I'm not sure if it can retro to a 2014, need to ask your dealer on that. The larger the plate, the better though. One upgrade I recommend is getting larger rear bags for surfing, that will help make your wave great out of the box with or without the swell.

[Zim]

I disagree with Mobius. A surf system is a much better alternative than just listing the boat. The length and push of a surf system wave with the same weight is going to be better than just a listed boat by itself. Add in the ease of flipping a switch to change sides, and it would be a no brainer to me. Swell 2.0 looks a little different with the way the actuators are mounted, and does have larger center plate/tabs as well as different shape, but wave should still be similar and very good with Swell 1.0.

[Jetlink]

Skiers Choice announced a retrofit for the Swell system on some of their boats. At least that is what I was told by a Supra dealer. I would inquire about the retrofit if that is a sticking point for you and see if it is worth it from a return on investment standpoint when it comes to your use of the boat.

[PatMacC]

Thanks for the responses! Very helpful insight. Can't wait to try it out!